Potato-masher



(No Model.)

- A. M. AMOS.

POTATO MASHER.

Nu 188,668. Patented Dec. 27, 1892.

0 @munIIII-Innm 1 I All 1 7 Witnesses: Inventor (Alumni.

UNET'E Erica.

ALEXANDER M. AMOS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

POTATO-MASH ER.

QPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,668, dated December 27, 1892. Application filed May 16, 1892. Serial No. 433,154. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER M. AMos, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Mashers; and I do hereby declare that the following description of my said invention, when taken in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has general reference to improvements in vegetable mashers; and it consists, essentially, in the novel and peculiar combination of parts and details of construction as hereinafter first fully set forth and described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings already referred to, nhich serve to illustrate my said invention more fully, Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved vegetable masher. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is aperspective View of the shield employed to enable the device being readily and conveniently manipulated. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the mashing arm detached, and Fig. 5 is a plan of the device.

Like parts are designated by corresponding letters of reference in all thefigures.

The object of this invention is the production of a simple and efficient vegetable masher, that will do its work very rapidly and that can be readily cleansed after use. To attain this latter result which has heretofore been but indifierently secured, I construct this device substantially as follows:

A is a cylindrical shell made from sheetmetal: tin, or tinned copper being very suitable. On the upper end of this shell I form a wired edge A, and near its lower edge an outwardly-turned bead A" ,while nearits lower end I place a wire screen B, the meshes of which are of suitable size to reduce the potatoes or other vegetables to the proper degree of fineness, twenty-five meshes to the square inch (more or less) being preferred. To the lower edge of this body A is crimped or 0therwise secured a rim 0, having a hemmed edge D, for the purpose of strengthening the same.

At a suitable distance below the upper edge of the shell A is provided aslit E, for the passage of the U-shaped end F of a cross-bar G, which U-shaped end is preferably formed of wire in the manner hereinafter to be referred to. The cross-bar G consists of a strip of sheet metal of a length nearly equaling the diameter of the shell A, and I produce the same by forming beads along its longitudinal edges and place therein a wire clamping device having the hook-shaped ends H, the outer members of which pass over the wired edge A while the inner members H pass downwardly in the shell A, the opposite ends of this Wire being formed into the U-shaped end F already mentioned. In addition to thus forming the clamping members H H and U- shaped end F, this wire, being inclosed within the beads, forms a stiffening device for the cross-bar G.

Centrally in the cross-bar G there is a hole 'g, through which is passed the spindle I, of the masher arms J, which spindle I is formed at its upper end into a crank K, for manipulating the same. This spindle I has below the cross-bar G a collari, to prevent the spindle I from lifting out of a step-bearing L, formed in the center of the wire screen]? by soldering a washer thereto in a well-known manner.

On the outside of the shell A there ispivoted a hasp M, which engages the outwardlyturned portion h of the wire clamp H and thereby locks the same in position, as shown in Fig. 2. When disengaged from this hasp M, the wire clamp H and with it the crossbar G may be lifted upwardly and by withdrawing the U-shaped end F from the slit E in the body A, the cross-barG and with it the spindle I and the masher armsJ may be bodily removed from the shell A and then the entire device readily and thoroughly cleansed and placed in a wholesome condition.

The masher-armsJ are of peculiarconstruction and consist of an oppositely inclined bar or blades and a U-shaped brace N which latter stiffens the wings and acts as a crusher for the vegetables to be mashed, as hereinafter to be set forth. One of the inclines, (n) of the wings J is higher up than the opposite incline n so that the space between this incline 'n and the wire screens Bis wider than the opposite one. By thus constructing the masher wings one of them will break up the potatoes or other vegetables so that the opposite wing,the lower edge m of which just scrapes over the wire screen B, will force the substance through the screen and thereby niashes the same in the desired manner. This feature of my masher wings is a very desirable one and eifects the desired result in a very satisfactory manner.

In order to enable this device being readily manipulated I provide the shell A with a fixed handle 0, and in addition thereto with a removable shield P, shown in perspective in Fig. 3, and consisting of a plate P, having on its upper edge hooks Q Q, engaging the shell A, and a wire guard R, at its lower end which guard bears against the side of the shell A, or is carried downwardly as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, so that the guard may engage the lower edge of the rim 0 and snap onto the same, which would removably secure the shield to the shellA,afeature which may be preferred by some persons.

To operate the device, the operator presses the shield against his or her body by taking hold of the handle 0 and turns the crank K. In this manner the apparatus is held far enough from the body of the operator to prevent clothes from being soiled and at the same time the mashed substance to drop readilyinto a vessel that maybe placed under the shell A.

It will be observed that the brace N forms means for cutting up and partly crushing the matter to be mashed before the same is acted upon by the wings. This is a desirable feature in vegetable mashers and adds to the efficiency of the same. Furthermore, the extreme distance from the center of the spindle I to the outer edges of the wings varies so that the converging portions N of the brace N do not revolve in the same plane thereby thoroughly breaking up the potatoes. The

cross-bar Gis locatedaoertain distance above the top member N of the brace which may be diminished more or less from that shown in the drawings. When brought farther down this cross-bar in conjunction with the member N will act as a breaker and thus prepare the potatoes for final mashing in a thorough manner, while at the same time an unobstructed passage of the potatoes into the shell A at its upper end is secured so that the said potatoes may be readily and easily dropped or deposited in the shell A. It Will be further observed that the cross-bar G though removably secured within the shell A, is readily locked thereto by the hasp M engaging the laterally projecting portion h of the hooks H on said cross-bar, thereby preventing displacement of the parts.

The device described is preferably made from tin, though copper tinned on the one side which is innermost in the device when completed, may be employed if amore expensive apparatus is desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire'to secure to me by Letters Patent of the United States.

1. In a vegetable masher, the combination with the shell A havingthe slot hole E, of the cross-bar G, having the U shaped wire tongue on one end and the hook-shaped clamps H H at the other, and the hasp M engaging the outwardly projecting portion h of said hooks, as and for the purpose indicated.

2. In a vegetable masher, the combination with the shell of the removable shield consisting of the U-shaped plate P having its upper end the hooks Q Q and at its lower end the wire guard R and clamp as set forth, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a vegetable masher the masher-wings J J aflixed to the spindle I and having the oppositely arranged inclines n 4?. one of which is above the plane of the other as stated and the substantially U shaped brace N as and for the object stated.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

A. M. AMOS.

Attest:

MICHAEL J. STARK, WM. 0. STARK. 

